Dig A Little Deeper
by Pricat
Summary: Tori, a lonely frog who is human like makes friends with Naveen and Tiana's young daughter who doesn't have many friends and they learn from each other
1. Chapter 1

A Girl And A Frog

It was a perfect New Orleans day as a young six year old African-American girl with black hair in pigtails wearingba green dress was playing in the bayou as she loved being there especially after the story her parents had told her about them being turned into frogs by the Shadow Man, but fell in love.

Her name was Layla but very smart and hard working like her mother Tiana helping her set tables in the restaurant, watching her Mom bake her delicious treats and dishes but loved music like her father Naveen.

"Aww man, it got away!" she said.

The little girl had been chasing frogs as usual, one of her favourite games since she didn't have many friends but liked being around Louis who was teaching her to play the sax.

"Layla, you okay baby girl?" she heard Louis say.

"Yep Louis I'm fine." she said.

But two eyes were watching her as they belonged to a little frog who was lonely like Layla was, but different so the other amphibians in the bayou didn't want to be around her.

"She is like me, alone." she muttered.

"Hello?

Who said that, anybody out there?" Layla asked curious as the voice was coming from behind a log.

The little girl saw a blue-green skinned frog there but wasn't afraid of it like most girls her age plus she had wished on the wishing star for a friend knowing she had to dig a little deeper to make it happen.

"Hi there I'm Tori." the frog said making Layla impressed.

"Cool are you a person that turned into a frog?" the girl asked as the female amphibian chuckled.

"No, I was born this way.

Don't you have any friends?" she asked Layla.

"Not really, but I like being around my parents and the time they were turned into frogs.

Don't you have any friends?" Layla asked her.

"Nope mon chere.

The other frogs in the bayou think I"m odd plus I am fixated with humans." she said.

"Cool, you wanna be friends?" Layla asked.

"Really?" Tori asked as the girl nodded.

"Yep since we can both use a friend, plus my folks won't mind." Layla told her knowing her parents would be looking for her.

"You okay Lay?

I think your parents are looking for ya." Louis told her.

She underdtood but leaving the bayou but unaware that Tori had jumped into her dress pocket but were going home seeing her father playing the mandolin.

"Hey sweetie, you were at the bayou huh?" Naveen said.

"Yep." Layla asked going inside.

She saw her mother working but going to her room unaware that her new friend had followed her home.

"Layla you wanna help me bake?" Tiana said from downstairs.

"Yeah, coming!" Layla said as she went downstairs. 


	2. Ma Belle Evangeline

Dig A Little Deeper

"This must be Layla''s room, it's cute which suits a kid like her, but hope she ain't in trouble, she's the first one in a long while to befriend me." Tori said exploring.

The room was warm and friendly, like a child's room should be with toys but saw a storybook on the bed, making the female amphibian curious hopping onto the bed, turning it over.

"Ooh the frog prince!

Makes sense for a girl whose parents were turned into frogs and beat the Shadow Man." she told herself hungry.

She knew if she went down there, her parents would be surprised hearing footsteps hiding and hearing the door open, seeing Layla enter with a plate of baked goods plus the smell made Tori excited.

"Tori, what're you doing here?" she asked.

"I kinda followed you mon chere, as I was curious." the female amphibian said as she was eating a cookie making Layla chuckle.

"That is so cool, that thing you do with your tongue." the girl said as the frog chuckled.

"It's just something we learn how to do Layla, like how baby humans learn how to talk and walk." she told her.

"Does your momma know you're here?" Layla asked.

"She disappeared when I was a baby but Grandmama Odie helped me out as I grew.

But the other frogs in the bayou think I'm weird but Grandmama Odie says they need to dig a little deeper, whatever that means." Tori explained.

"Ohhh my momma told me about her, she sounds nice plus helped my parents but she lives in the bayou in a tree, from what my Dad told me." Layla said.

They were playing but Layla was explaining things as Tori listened in awe as she giggled but Naveen saw them thinking it was cute, knowing how Layla wanted friends plus Lottie's daughter could be her first friend.

"Is Layla okay, Naveen?" he heard Tiana ask.

"Qui she's fine, in her room playing." he replied.

"Come help me, the mushrooms need mincing." she said as he was going downstairs.

"Who was that, kiddo?" Tori asked.

"My Dad, he probably wondered if I was okay." Layla told her and were having fun but later heard her mother call her for dinner.

"I'll be back, Tori, I gotta go eat." she said.

Tori understood as she could smell gumbo but hoped she was okay.

That evening, Layla was in bed, as her parents were telling her a story as Tori could hear but liking it wondering who Evagenline was knowing Layla would tell her later once her parents were out of the room seeing her mother leave along with her Dad.

The female frog then hopped out of hiding as Layla was wondering what was on her mind.

"Who's Evagenline, as your parents mentioned her in the story?" Tori asked her.

"She's Uncle Ray's girl who lives in the sky because she's a star." Layla told her.

The girl was telling her that story, the one about her parents being turned into frogs as she knew it by heart but Tori was hanging on her every word, but understood it was getting late and the girl was getting sleepy.

"You can tell me the rest later, you need your rest." she said.

"You sure?" Layla said as she nodded.

"Okay then, looking forward to it." she said leaving after Layla had fallen asleep since the story had given her an idea, a crazy, brilliant one that maybe Grandmama Odie could make her human. 


	3. Wanting To Help

Dig A Little Deeper

In her tree home, Mama Odie knew that Tori was curious about humans plus wanted to be human but knew the little frog was meant to be the Bayou Princess and look after the bayou and all that lived in it but for now, she would let her be a tadpole, or kid.

She then heard hops knowing it was Tori and knew Layla had inspired her with the story about her parents being turned into frogs but it was hard for her to understand.

"Grandmama Odie!

I got a great idea, a really good one!" Tori said excited.

"Really child?" Odie said.

"You could use your magic, to turn me into a human!" the female frog said as Juju looked anxious.

"I don't know sweetie but you need to dig deeper." she told her.

"That confuses me Mama." Tori said as Odie chuckled at her but she was eating gumbo but saw fireflies.

It made Odie remember Ray, who had helped Naveen and Tiana fall in love but in love with Evagenline who was a star but to him, it was a big bright firefly but Tori was in awe.

"Ooh!" she said, hoping Layla was okay.

"Aw you made friends with Tiana's daughter, huh?" she said as Tori nodded.

"Yep she's just as lonely as I am when the other frogs ignore me because I'm different." she said.

"Aw you just have a bigger destiny than them." Odie said to her as Tori frowned.

"What kind of destiny?" Tori asked.

"You"ll find out in time." Odie told her.

She liked helping Odie with things but knew Layla would help Tori out but was seeing her get sleepy curling up in the chair as Odie chuckled.

"Tori, you there?" Layla asked the next morning as she woke up rubbing sleep from her eyes but getting dressed.

She was looking around her room for her amphibian friend but couldn't find her.

"Layla you up?" she heard her mother ask.

"Yeah Momma!" she said going downstairs but knew where to look for Tori, the bayous!

"Sweetie we set up a plateaus for ya, with Lottie's daughter as she's nice like her momma." Tiana said making Layla anxious.

"We're going to Lottie's house later, okay baby?" Naveen told her.

"Okay Daddy." she said eating up.

She was going to the bayous to find Tori but hoped she was okay but saw fireflies making her in awe.

"Maybe Tori is somewhere in the bayou." she told herself.

She then saw Tori by a tree but happy to see her.

"Are you okay, you look scared?" Tori said.

"I have to go to a plateaus later but I'm scared, as I don't make friends easily." Layla told her.

"Hey you are, as we're friends.

Maybe you guys can play in the bayou!" the female frog said.

"K don't think our parents would let us." she told her, but Tori was getting an idea seeing Layla had to go soon,hopping into her dress pocket.

Layla was anxious as she was leaving the house with her parents but scared especially when they arrived at a stately mansion as Tori was in awe.

"No wonder Lay is scared, but I can help." she said softly to herself as Layla followed her parents inside. 


End file.
